Dance of Aces
by MarksmanKNG
Summary: Exhausted and low on supplies, the LRSSG raided Shilage Castle in Operation Beehive. There, they've met a challenge that Trigger would never back down from. An opponent that would make that battle become a dance between Aces. Oneshot.


"Missile lock on you Trigger!"

Trigger heaved as he slammed the throttle and pulled. The F15 Eagle roared its afterburners, twisting away from the trails of anti air fire. White death shot past as the bird made a full turn, diving low to the ground. Lining up the crosshair, Trigger let the 20mm gun roar. Two seconds of rapid fire bullets was enough to shred the SAM truck to pieces.

Trigger pulled up towards the sky in a gentle climb. A quick glance of readouts told the situation. Ten minutes of dogfight fuel. Twenty seconds of the Vulcan. Eight missiles. Well depleted but enough for the remaining enemies. _Shouldn__'t be much longer. _A half dozen targets to remove and the base would be theirs. Count and the others would handle them easy. He was growing hungry and worn out from the constant travel. Hardly any time to rest and eat beyond the short refuel at an abandoned airbase hours earlier.

The LRSSG had sprung a raid onto Shilage castle. Arriving alongside the setting sun, they've pounced onto the defenders with great efficiency. With communications blackout, confusion and chaos had made detriment to their response times. Now they just needed to finish the fight.

"Nice job Trigger," Long Caster said. The lone AWACS aircraft would be arriving in the area within twenty minutes with the rest of the aircraft flight crews. A few helicopters would be roping in ground troops to secure the facility. _Better be supplies in that base._ Otherwise, it'd be a big waste and deep trouble for they were already scraping bottom of the barrels.

"I'd say Trigger had it all in the bag. Without those drones, popping these boys are a piece of cake."

"Says you Count. Drones aren't the one that belong in the sky," Jaeger said as the two popped missiles and knocked out the remaining missile sites perched on the castle walls. That left six to go.

"Wait, I'm picking up something."

Radio chatter. New contacts to the east. Down below…ground? "Sol squadron taking off." Trigger banked and looked to the right. There. Five aircrafts shooting out of a tunnel built into the mountain before rising into the sky. SU-30's. Strange. Only four of them. There were supposed to be five.

"Getting to takeoff speed inside the tunnel is insane," Jaeger said.

Count added. "Woah, those guys are nuts, flying out of that pie hole. I'd never try that kind of stunt."

Trigger had to hand it to them. _Ballsy guys. _"Strider squadron, form up." Trigger ordered, moving to regroup with the team. These guys wouldn't be pushovers. Likewise, Sol squadron broke into elements. Two pairs of fighters in formation streaking towards them with hungry fervour.

IFF ID Sol Two announced on a public channel. "You are in violation of Shilage airspace. Turn around or we will be forced to shoot you down."

_Fat hopes of that happening._ Trigger chose not to answer, as Strider Squadron formed up on his wing. Four against four, an even match. Four thousand metres distance separated the two packs.

"This is the Osean Long Range Strategic Strike Group. Land immediately and hand over your planes and base to us." Long Caster replied.

Sol Two huffed. "You must be the Snowbirds. It's absurd for you to be talking so tough after losing one of your leaders at Farbanti."

"You bastard!" Count cursed.

Three thousand metres and closing. Trigger lined up the crosshair towards the lead of the approaching formation. Likewise as the computer calculated for a lock, warning systems lit up, receiving locks of his own.

Sol Two hissed back. "You defiled this country. As long as you're here, this country will never know peace."

"That isn't for you to say, causing the entire war in the first place." Count jabbed back.

Two thousand metres. He held fire as the entire group broke formation to scatter. Trigger felt the systems scream a constant tone.

**Warning. Missile Lock!**

_Then I__'ll show you how it feels to lose one of your own. _Trigger pulled up and broke hard to port. Missiles streaked past as Trigger rolled and twisted the climb into a dive. Count still snug and tight in formation. "Count, hold Sol Two steady for me."

"Righto." Count broke away, moving to get behind Sol Two. Trigger finished the dive into a full loop. Hitting the afterburners pressed him into the chair. The acceleration on this beauty was amazing as numbers spiked. Half second glance at the radar pointed in Count's success of drawing Sol Two away. There, Sol Three trying to back up his partner. And so time for the hunt to begin.

"I got one on me." IFF Sol Three jerked side to side in an attempt to slice but he wasn't having any of it. Keeping a steady hand on the yoke and pedals, staying aligned within the angle to attack. Lining up the gun reticle before firing a four second burst. It rippled along the SU-30's back, shredding its right wing apart. Confirmed kill as it spun out of control.

"Sol Three!"

"I'm out! Ejecting!"

Trigger shot past the aircraft flaking apart, turning towards the next target. Count was steady, dancing with an annoying bird. That meant chance for one more.

Trigger glanced at the radar. Sol Five was diving and darting as Huxian and Jaeger sought to corner him into the cage while Sol Four was trying to get a good flank. Just out of range. A viable opening from the side for the taking.

Flooring the throttle, crossing the distance into firing range. He lead his aim, angled the approach to slightly behind the dancing trio. Just about right. He pulled the trigger. "Fox Two."

"I saw him eject. Wait, Three strikes is on me. Shit," Sol Five broke up and hard to port, trying to make the missile overshoot. The SU-30 swerved past, afterburners roaring for speed. Enough for one, not for two.

"Fox Three." The second missile straight onward at a closer range. Sol Five couldn't say further as the missile shot forward, armed and racing. Cloud of smoke with a good hit on the tail. Another one to bite the dust.

"Engine's down. Bailing out!" These pilots were good but Trigger was better. More so with a team to back him up. Now, back to Sol Two and his loudmouth.

"Two to go! Don't let them work together! Back up Trigger!" Long Caster yelled before something rattled on the radio.

"Damn, we can't even last long enough to buy ourselves some time." Trigger could feel Sol Two's frustration oozing out. _That__'s right. Feel it right there. _Count was on the back foot, being dogged by Sol Two.

"A little help here." Count hissed as his bird rolled and sliced before pulling a hard up into an Immelman. Sol Two kept on the tail. Right on a head to head approach with Trigger.

Trigger aimed. Fast enough, he might be able to pop a pair and ambush. Sol Two dived and rolled away, noticing his attempt to lock on. That wouldn't save Sol Two. Not if-

Flicker.

Radio static noise. The HUD flickered and buzzed. What was happening? Reminded of Farbanti. Gut instinct screamed. He rolled left before something zoomed past him. Chasing behind it was a sonic boom, roaring through the canopy and spearing into his helmet. The F15 rattled from the shockwave, forcing him to compensate. What the hell was that?

"Strider 1, you have a bogey approaching at high speed! Bearing 090, straight from the east." Long Caster yelled.

"A miss, as expected. But a lucky shot would be boring." New radar contact, straight ahead. Ten thousand metres. Digital magnification revealed it to a bird he had never seen before. The fighter screamed the future. Forward swept wings and smaller canards along the front side of its fuselage. V shaped tail coursing along the sleek design with its stabilisers unfolding. Long barrel of a gun undocked below the cargo bay. A bird of war that screamed for dominance of the sky.

What kind of weapon was that to be so dangerous? "It's some kind of energy weapon. No, it's a railgun!" Jaeger managed to identify it. Fast thinker to surmise all that detail. How the hell did they fit one of those onto a plane?

Trigger turned to face the futuristic machine. Sol Two would have to wait. His Eagle was going to fight for its dominance. Another flicker. He pulled up as another shock wave rattled the canopy.

"High speed projectile launched from enemy aircraft." Long Caster was three seconds short.

"I'm testing this aircraft. You must find your own sky." The pilot's voice was familiar. Even through the buzzy static of radio communications. Trigger knew it had to be him. Mister X.

"We can still help you," Sol Two said.

"Don't waste your life. Dedicate it to reclaiming that which you call home. Furthermore, you must find someone to guide you… I am not that person."

"Mihaly." _So that__'s his name. _Putting the tidbit away, Trigger had moments to figure an approach. That design looked extremely manoeuvrable. Railgun with unprecedented range and likely to kill in a single shot. The F15 Eagle wasn't the newest bird nor was it the best on the technological aspect. Granted this bird had been spruced up with better engines and avionics but not much by far.

Pause from Sol Two before he continued. "Voslagian Squadron will be retreating. Those fighting below are advised to temporarily withdraw. Don't die. As long as we're alive, our hopes and dreams live on." That left only one major problem to deal with.

"Hey, look at the colour of that plane," Count said.

"Damn, that's the flames of hell." Jaeger agreed. The orange wingtips. Without a doubt of his opponent was who he is. In a bird far exceeding possibility. Trigger had to admit the odds weren't on the ball for him. Rarely does.

"Long Caster. What are we dealing with?"

"No clue. Though it looked like an experimental plane that I've heard rumours going about. Best of the best kind."

"Experimental plane or not, it's time for payback," Count said. Strider squadron moved to intercept, spread out like a cage to net in the prey. Trigger saw another flicker before moving to dodge. This time that shock wave overshooting above, closer than he'd like. Before another warning of missile lock forced him to dive out of the way.

The rest pounced in the meantime. Three fighters attacking from multiple angles. And they still couldn't beat it.

"How the hell does this guy fly?"

"You tell me Count. This guy's insane with those moves. Four, you definitely got an angle now."

"Negative. It's no good. I can't get close enough!" Huxian grunted as her own F15 sought to keep up with X. The bird was not flying. It was dancing, diving in between their angles. Twisting, turning, accelerating before breaking into sharp turns. Three birds on one and they couldn't get a bead on it.

X pulled a hard turn, slipping over towards Huxian. Trigger climbed to pursue, firing two burst of the 20mm to discourage X from shooting his fellow pilots. Not good. He couldn't get a good bead line on X, not with possible three other fighters to watch out for.

"Count." Trigger said.

"Righto. Guys, leave it to Trigger. The rest of us will get in the way. The rest form a perimeter to catch whatever slips through."

"Wilco, it might just cost us our lives. Good luck, Trigger." Strider Squadron broke off and disengaged. X didn't pursue, building distance between them.

Sudden break to port, diving below. Trigger slammed the pedals, twisting around into a dive to pursue. X's plane bent hard, pulling up rapidly.

_Vector thrusts! Need to conserve energy. _Firstrule of the afterburners on a few second burst as he pulled onto the yoke. Climbing back as X broke away, again out of reach. Trigger kept climbing, building energy for the essential bursts of speed he'll need. Eight minutes of dogfight fuel. Far too short than he liked.

Long Caster announced. "Unidentified aircraft. Land your plane and surrender. Why do you feel the need to continue fighting on your own?"

X was climbing for another go at him. "That's funny, it seems like one of your pilots is also fighting alone."

"He's not alone Mister X. Look around you." Long Caster replied. The rest of the LRSSG weren't in the fight but they got his back. Just that this was his battle.

Trigger banked to the left, lining to overshoot and preferably spiral into X's back. He'd probably have a half second to pull off a kill shot.

"I see. Perhaps it would've been best to entrust the future to pilots like that. Let me test him, then, to see if he's truly worthy."

Those words struck a chord. The past swelled up beneath his thoughts.

_Brownie. _She was growing her wings. Being fellow airmen of similar standing, she'd seen him as a rival in opposing squad rivalry. He'd taken it as a challenge then, to always push himself beyond the comfort zone and exceed.

_Champ. _He didn't know the man well or long. Self centred though he's the one that covered his back during those times. In solitary, penal squadron or otherwise. Always betting the odds on him and taking on his own with gutso.

_Wiseman. _Mentor, leader, friend. Always putting the squad's safety first. The nights drinking beers and sharing memories. Wiseman was probably one part of the reason why his case was reopened and transferred to the LRSSG. Making himself the bait against Mister X even when he knew he was outmatched. Counting on Trigger to make the bullseye. He failed to make that shot.

Pain choked his chest. Thrice he hadn't been able to prevent their deaths. This time. This time, he had one more go. In a bird that's far superior to those he flown. No more other chances. This time, he was going to take that man down.

Fire fuelled his thoughts. Trigger flicked the switch on the radio. "A test. Treating people like test subjects. Is that all you could think of?"

"Three Strikes finally speaks. Well met to find an ace like you. Nevertheless, I've made my choice and we see who holds the sky today."

The animal inside him hungered for the kill. Tightening his grip onto the yoke. Trigger hissed. "I'll put an end to you." Turning off the radio, he had to focus everything into making that kill.

Four times since they've met. The first two was to only watch his fellow pilots die. The third was their first clash. Fourth had been so close. There won't be a next time. Down to the line with this one.

They shot past each other. Roll and yaw left. Dive. Forcing down the yoke and pedals against the winds. Winds blistered against the frame as heavy G-forces pressed him against his seat. Red filled his eyes before it turned black from a rapid turn upwards. High-G turns were always the hardest.

Where was X? Radar…shit. X was above and behind him._ Hell._

"There are pilots like you in every generation."

**Warning! Missile Lock! **

"And I felled every last one of them."

Trigger rolled an invert before making a spiral dive before a hard break.

Huff… huff… huff

Short breaths. Fast Exhale. Squeeze butt cheeks. Legs tight. Pull up!

Trigger fought to stay conscious from blacking out. He slammed the yoke forward, stabilising and easing the pressure before twisting around for another sharp turn. AGSM techniques were his bread and butter by now. Though he could still GLOC if he wasn't careful. Sharp boom in the sky as he pierced Mach One.

"Hey, look! It's like the sky has been sliced wide open!" Random chatter on the radio.

"The experimental unit probably made themselves a new toy." He ignored them, craning over his shoulder to find X.

Warning lock vanished as Trigger pulled another hard turn. X was still on his tail. Another whipcrack by the right. Trigger hissed, balancing against the turbulence.

Trigger sliced, pulling high G turns with each iteration. That wasn't shaking X, keeping close and well in line.

"Is this all you got?" X said, a tinge of boredom.

_No way in hell is it. _Dive, roll into an Split-S. Then hard turn to port. A good bait if he wasn't expecting it. Not enough to get him behind X but to shake him off for a moment.

"Interesting. Figured you'd try to run."

"No way in Hell." Now, they were side to side. Slicing and rolling around in a helix. Trigger pulled a half second climb before high G turn roll back.

Yes. Trigger had the bead now. To which X replied. "Not bad."

Trigger pushed the attack, keeping tight on the stick. Lock on blared, ready to fire. _Not good enough._ Too easy to dodge. A thousand metres away separated them as they skirted around in a screaming dance of engines. Rolling, banking, spinning, hard turns to slices before rolling away the other way. Their birds roared in the sky as sonic booms clapped together in unison.

Double rolls. X holding steady for the moment. Chance!

"Fox Two!" Trigger fired. X dropped speed, pulling a Kulbit over the missile. _Not this time! _Trigger broke away to port, circling around in a hard turn. An opportunity lost but not trapped by such gambit.

Constant tone. Alarm. _Shoot._ Throwing Mister X off his tail was a pain.

**Warning! Missile lock!**

Trigger dived sharp. Red filled his vision before another hard climb. One missile dodged before another alarm. Blasted second! Pop flares, break away. Missile diverted, success.

Third missile!

Crack roll and dive to ground. Green rose to his cockpit before swerving by the castle on the hill as it took the blow meant for him. High G turn up before flaring another second of afterburners. Quick check. Four minutes of fuel left.

Sharp J-turn around the castle. Swing up for the six and lock on. Damn, X caught on and swung around into a Yo-yo. _Can__'t this guy take a hint?_

Dive. High G Barrel roll. Hold to the stick! Pull! Right on his six!

Lock!

"Fox two, three!" The pair raced forward. X fired flares, losing one but the other managed to explode near the engine. Damn. A glancing blow. X broke away, sharper than his own angle.

"That bastard's moving in a way that minimizes the damage, even when he's hit." Count swore. Trigger rolled, trying to keep on the outer side as the attacker.

"Impressive. Didn't imagine you'd dare to do it so close to the ground." Sudden burst of speed from the experimental fighter, flying out of effective range.

Quick check. Ten seconds of gunfire. Four missiles. Scraps against such a beast. Warning sounds bleeding from X's radio. Maybe he-.

Static. X pulled a J turn for a head to head approach.

Flicker, hissing static. Full afterburners! Spiral Break!

Crack!

Crack!

Crack!

Three shots. Each whipping a roar of the sky as Trigger felt High Gees squeezing him from the constant spiral. Hard to hold the stick before pulling the throttle back a notch.

"Uh oh. That railgun's getting more accurate with each shot," Long Caster said.

_Damn it. _Trigger breathed hard as he slammed the yoke forward into a dive. The beast in him growled against the turmoil. His G-suit wasn't keeping up. How much could that old man take? Getting pushed into the seat for so long would've broken other pilots. _Truly an ace._

"This weapon is not enough to take down Three Strikes." X huffed. "This aircraft is my body. If they are not enough, then I must put my soul into it."

"Just as you put your soul into it. So do I." Trigger squeezed words through tight breaths. Fuel for three minutes. Make it count.

Throttle back to the end. Pull hard into a Wingover. High-G turn to port!

_Don__'t GLOC. _Black depths encroached, hinting only the miniscule sights of the HUD. Full throttle, pushing him back to the seat alongside X.

Instant Cobra from X. Trigger pulled his own Cobra, slowing side to side. He could see Mister X beside him. The man's helmet glanced over, meeting eye to eye through black visors. Speed was freefalling. He pulled his flaps open. So did X. Both fighters crawling in the air. Question was who would break away.

Who dares win.

The F15 was horrid for such aerobatics. Slamming down between pedals, trying to keep the bird from losing balance by the Bell Tailslide.

**Stall warning!**

Trigger cursed, feeling the bird becoming dead weight. Flooring the throttle before breaking into a dive. X had the better fighter to stay afloat.

"Watch your six!" Count warned.

He swung around in a reverse loop to try catch X recovering his speed. No joy. X was holding onto it.

Bullet tracers swung overhead, another near miss before Trigger broke right then left into a spiral dive. Altimeter screamed to pull up. X continued pursuit, dogging closely as alarm warnings flicker on and off. Six thousand metres.

_How close do you dare to stick to the ground? _

Four Thousand.

The green forest growing closer as they both continued to spiral.

Two thousand.

X broke off as he did, pulling high G turns to flying just above the tree line. Trigger pulled hard to starboard, trusting radar to read his vector.

"Fox Two! Three!" Trigger fired both pairs of missiles before firing the Vulcan. X climbed, breaking sound barrier before slicing away from the attack.

Trigger pursued, climbing to chase the faster bird. The red skies glowed as clouds were gently whisked away. Slamming the throttle to full. Afterburners to the maximum.

_Come on! Come on! Come on! _

Last two missiles. Six second burst of the gun. Everything or nothing. All counting to fly like the Predator of the sky. To be that way, he had to put his soul into it. The beast residing his chest howled with the winds.

Pushing the Eagle to, no, beyond its limits. Becoming the bird and reach for the skies.

_FLY!_

Engines roared harder, guzzling fuel as its blood. The canopy rattled from the heavy wind buffeting against it. High G turn to catch X's slicing. Two thousand metres. Lock on range.

Another slice. Innate sensation in his gut calling out as banked to follow. A pattern. He found it as X broke to starboard hard.

High G turn away. Snap roll, break to starboard to pursue. Relying on his instincts where X would be. There.

Locking…X jinxed up and down before another-

Locked on. X rolled left before spiralling up and…

"Fox two." Snap roll right and prepare for that moment!

X broke starboard in a sharp bank. Right into his gun sights.

He pulled the Trigger.

Unloading everything in a blazing scream of death.

Impact.

"It's a hit! The unidentified aircraft is going down." Long Caster said.

Sharp splintering burst of metal fragments before the roaring engine belched smoke. Another explosion wrecked the second engine, throwing the relatively intact bird into a slow free fall.

"Hah, Trigger has splashed a bandit!" Count whooped as cheers filled the radio.

Trigger was certain, watching the plane tumbling out of control with fiery engines. Pieces of the thin metallic plating flaked off in pieces, creating a mess cloud trailing its wake. He did it. He actually done it. Relief sagged onto his shoulders as he continued watching the bird fall off the sky.

"Can you hear me, pilot with the Three Strikes?" X's voice in a growing hiss of static.

Trigger loosened his grip on the yoke. The stick felt heavy as lead. Fingers sore and worn out from gripping so hard. He flicked the switch and obliged. "Yeah, I'm here."

"Well done. This was all due to my ego. I unleashed pure chaos upon this world just so I could keep my wings. Creating a sky that is plagued by machine." Trigger had no answer to that. "Those drones don't deserve to conquer the skies. Put a stop to the drone production, Three Strikes." The radio buzzed out.

Trigger eased into a smooth curve around the castle. There it was, the bird had crashed into the ground. No sign of ejecting until the end.

"What does all that mean?" Huxian said.

"I don't think this war is over just because we shot down Mister X." Long Caster said.

"Yeah, it's going to take something else entirely to end this thing. I just don't know what." Count surmised.

Trigger turned towards the airfield. Bingo fuel was the worst. "Sure it wouldn't. Long Caster will find out for us. He always do." What mattered was getting fuel, munitions and food. After that, he can take on anything they can throw at him.

For he is the Hound. For he is Three Strikes.

* * *

**Author****'s Notes: **Thanks for reading Dance of Aces. This has been a rather simple one-shot project on the side. More on testing how much I can push my writing to include dogfighting, balancing between technical and narrative to make something sensible to even readers who are not familiar with the mechanics. I did some creative + reality adjustments like weapon loads and extra dialogues compared to canon to build the character. Though I doubt this is the best I've managed since I worked it out in relatively short time period. Hope to hear your thoughts about it.


End file.
